Body Language
by UnderwaterOphelia
Summary: The gods grant Kagome a reward for fulfilling her quest. Who knew being a wolf demon would come with so many challenges? Will be rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"Kagome! Is that you?! What happened to her?! Why does she look like that?" The shout from Inuyasha seemed to echo around her as she floated in between conscious thought and the trance-like state the jewel had put her into.

"I-is it done? Did I do it? Did the jewel disappear?" Her voice was so loud. Why was everything so loud? She tried to open her eyes but the sun was blinding and she quickly shut them. "What's going on? What's happening to me?" She whispered to the group as she peeked one eye open, shielding her face with a hand.

A clawed hand.

The panic attack that followed wasn't a surprise to anyone, but once she'd calmed down, Kagome stood in front of the stream in the forest and stared at her reflection numbly. The face that stared back was hers, but a distorted version of it, as if she'd glued on prosthetic elf ears, acrylic nails, and vampire fangs. Every time she turned she caught a glimpse of the slender black tail that bristled up at her unease. It was so weird seeing it peeking out from under her green skirt and feeling it moving without consciously doing it.

"So if you wished for the jewel to disappear, and it did, then why did you come out of the void like this Kagome?" A soft spoken Sango stood next to her and watched the young girl's ears twitch at the sound. The sheen of tears welling up in her friend's eyes distressed the slayer enough that she stepped forward to soothingly rub Kagome's back.

"I don't really know Sango. I remember being inside the jewel, and it echoed around me saying awful things and trying to get me to wish selfishly. Then when I made my wish the void turned pink and calm, and this bright light was in front of me. It's voice was strange, like several people talking together, telling me that for completing my quest I'd get a reward, a form that suited me. But what kind of reward is this? I don't understand."

Kagome sat down gently and held her head in her hands, tunneling through them anxiously. "And why am I feeling so paranoid and itchy? It's like I'm crawling out of my skin worrying about everything. Like I'm alone in the forest and it's watching me or something." She rubbed her hands up and down her arms in a nervous hugging way.

Sango was silent for a few moments, analyzing Kagome's new looks before replying, "Maybe we should go talk to Kouga's pack? He might have some answers about the itchy paranoia at least? I don't know much about wolf demons other than what I've observed from his pack." At her nod the two girls walked back over to the group, a plan in place and determined to get answers.

"Okay so if you wanna run at top speed you gotta be using all your senses to feel your surroundings. Otherwise you'll run into trees and stuff." Inuyasha's voice was surprisingly patient as he talked her through her new abilities and watched her run a circle around the meadow. An ear flicked towards the sound of Miroku's staff jingling and suddenly Kagome slid over to them and tumbed haphazardly to a stop.

"Okay let's get going. Kagome, I'll go in front. Just follow me and I'll keep us from hitting anything." Kagome nodded and took off behind Inuyasha, eager to solve the puzzle and get rid of the weird claustrophobic feeling that had been creeping up steadily as the morning wore on.

About twenty minutes later Kagome heard the rush of water falling over the rock ledges. Anticipation ramping up with every mile they traveled, she practically ran Inuyasha over when he called for them to stop in front of the massive cliffs surrounding the cascading waterfall. Howling to call the alpha went up from the sentries and Kagome was in awe that she could understand them.

Practically vibrating with excitement at the sight of the alpha wolf leaping off the edge of the mountain, Kagome had to physically restrain her tail to keep it from wagging. She also didn't appreciate the snickering coming from Sango and Miroku at the sight either. "It's okay Kagome, sometimes I can't control my tail either. They have a mind of their own." Shippo patted his tail for emphasis as he hopped onto Kagome's shoulder.

At first Kouga didn't seem to notice anything amiss with the small group, all people accounted for and seeming normal. But once he stopped directly in front of them and heard the small whimper coming from Kagome, all he could do was stare at her in shock.

Because that wasn't Kagome. Or well, it was, but it was the Kagome of all his late night fantasies. A small black tail tucked nearly between her legs, a single fang worrying her full lips, her small pointed ears twitching at the rough exhale that left his mouth.

"What the fuck?" At his sharp question Kagome wrung her clawed hands nervously. She keened a high noise from the back of her throat and tilted her head submissively. Her whole demeanor screamed "Comfort me! Help me! Please don't be mad!" and it pulled hard on his heartstrings.

"Well… I think we have some talking to do." He held out his arms and let her come to him for a comforting hug, which she gladly hopped into. Breathing in her scent as she snuffled into his shoulder, he confirmed that she really was Kagome and not some trick. Cocking one brow at the others, he didn't wait for them to follow as he gathered the whimpering woman into his arms and leapt up into the cavernous den.

Ignoring Inuyasha's groans about the smell of wolves, he tried to gently set Kagome down in front of the firepit after warning the rest of the pack to keep their distance. Kagome, however, had other ideas and just wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. Sighing and realizing she was basically in survival mode at the moment, he relented and simply sat down and pulled her into his lap.

"Kagome you're gonna be okay." He lightly shushed her as her companions all sat nearby to talk. She sniffled and looked up at Kouga and wiped her eyes on her sleeves.

"Then why does it feel all itchy and freaked out? I feel like I'm all alone and everything's about to attack me." Her soft voice sent an arrow directly through his heart. A few soft murmurs and questions of the same from her companions spurred him to answer as it all clicked into place in his mind.

"I think I know why. You're a lone wolf right now Kagome, no pack, no protection, no alpha. That's why you practically climbed up into my arms as soon as you saw me. You know who I am and know that I'm an alpha, a safe place." Kouga thought he'd died and gone to heaven as she looked into his eyes and muttered a soft "oh."

"Kouga-sama, is there anything we can do to lesson Kagome's discomfort? We hate to see her so withdrawn." The monk's soft voice was worried, and the slayer nodded her agreement.

"You? No you can't do anything. I'm the only one who can do anything to help her. I can offer her a place in the pack, a real one and not just honorary, but that would mean she'd be living here with us permanently. And while we don't mind visitors occasionally, it's about to be a bit rowdy here since Spring is almost here..." He looked around the room at his packmates awe filled faces, who were all trying to process the fact that Kagome was now one of them, and then looked back to Kagome's companions' faces.

The slayer looked sad, the monk resigned, and the kit worried, but the most interesting reaction was from Inuyasha, who didn't look surprised at all. He simply looked to Kagome for her decision, and Kouga found himself doing the same.

"So, what do you think? Want to join the Eastern pack? Will you accept me as your alpha?" Her eyes widened and she looked around at her friends and bit her lip.

"Can Shippo stay too? H-he's just a baby." Kouga's soft grin at her and small nod had Shippo launching his tiny body into onto Kagome's chest in relief.

"Then yes, Kouga, I accept you as my alpha and I accept your offer to join the pack. Though you may have to teach me how to-well how to be a wolf I guess." Her soft smile and words had him grinning down at her and chuckling. "I think I can accept that deal."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone!

I've moved all my stories onto Ao3 due to 's content policies about explicit writing. Find me at Archive of our Own with the username UnderwaterOphelia and see all the updates I've posted! I'm also on Tumblr, and my username is underwater0phelia, with a zero instead of the letter o. Hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Ophelia


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